When The Cradle Falls

The holiday is right around the corner which means nothing to me other than chaos, confusion and panic. Everyone stays stressed, I have to rush to pack for my trip home and I have to scramble to get all my work done before heading out of town. Every year it is the same thing- stress!

My name is Brooklyn and I am an unmarried artist following my dreams in New York City. I add that I am unmarried because trust me, once I head back home and you meet my mom- she will make sure you are very aware of that fact. At least once a month she tries to set me up with some professional bachelor she has met in town- never understanding that because she is across the country in Seattle, the chances of anything working out is pretty slim to none.

I moved here to New York City five years ago when I finished college. I studied to be an engineer but let's just face it- it doesn't get much more boring than that! I had always dabbled in art, as it was a pretty good creative outlet for me during high school. I was bullied for being the "tom boy" so my stress level was pretty high, even at that age.

Once I graduated, I could feel it in my bones that I was just not meant for any type of world that career would bring me- I knew I needed something creative. That is where New York City came in! A shop in downtown NYC had been following me on my social media and asked if I would consider joining their team. Obviously, I accepted- I would have been crazy not to. My mother was devastated but my father knew it was something I had to do. He had always been my biggest art supporter.

To appease my mother, I made a promise that each year, three weeks before Christmas, I would travel home and spend every moment of the holiday with them. Unknown to me, that was the shop's busiest time of year- which made it almost impossible to get  away. Luckily my boss was understanding and told me as long as I made sure to have the art collections complete by then for the holiday show, I was okay to leave.

That seems simple enough- but it isn't. It is 16 hour work days, 6 days a week for almost a month leading up to me leaving. By the time I have a chance to go, I am so exhausted I just want to stay home- but I know that just is never going to be an option.

Tomorrow is the day. I head to the airport, alone, travel the ten hours and meet my dad at the airport. It never fails that he has some super embarrassing sign waiting there for me. It drives me insane every year, but it definitely makes me laugh on the way home so I guess it is fine. After he picks me up we always head to the soda shop for a root beer before heading back to the house.

Once we get back home, that starts mom's chaos! She spends the majority of her time with me trying to convince me I need to move back, find "a nice fellow" to settle down with, give her grandchildren and blah blah blah. The whole guilt trip never changes. I hear the same thing every single year- without a single word difference. It is almost like she has it written down and rehearses her speech before I walk in the door.

Either way, she does her absolute best to try and hook me up with every single bachelor in town that she deems a worthy choice. Every day of my visit is set up in such a way that I will somehow "accidentally" run into one of the "prince charmings". It is by far the worst part of my trip.

In between making sure I know every single man in town, each day is filled with the town's Christmas spirit and their schedule of "must attend jolly workshops". Most of them require a partner so yet again, my mother seems to find that an appropriate time to try and work her match making magic. Sometimes, I feel like it is more work to come home than it would for me to stay at my job and actually work!

Don't get me wrong, I love coming home to see my family and friends but just for once, I wish I could just enjoy the time I was spending with them- and less time resenting my mother for trying to control my every single move.

I think the biggest issue with this whole holiday tradition of her trying to be the magical matchmaker is that she seems to not know anything about me. She sets me up with these professional, slick haired, business type men that have literally not one single thing in common with me. She seems to not know much about who I am- only about who I was- which is not one in the same anymore.

To everyone's surprise though, this year will not be filled without typical "find Brooklyn a mate" festivities. What no one knows is for the first time ever, I will be bringing my own date. I am pretty sure no one expects this to happen, since we are pretty much like clockwork every single year in regards to this yearly visit, but things surely will be different after this.

I typically tell my dad everything but this time, I decided I would just let it flow and see what happens- this way, no one can talk me out of my trip which is going to be probably the best one yet since I won't be getting set up every single day. Having someone there to actually do things with- that I know and love- will be a huge change to my usual schedule. I am really looking forward to the change.

After heading to bed late and waking up with knots in my stomach- it is the day. I just have to get to the airport, wait for my love to arrive and hope for the best. There is really nothing more else than I can do. I am committed to honoring my true self, my journey and my heart. That, my friends, is why my true love must be seen...... and here she comes to take on this path with me..... Jane.